PDP faces growing 2027 uncertainty as factional disputes escalate

By : Seye Olumide, Azimazi Momoh Jimoh, Abuja, Lawrence Njoku, Leo Sobechi, Rotimi Agboluaje

Date: 9 December 2025 7:20am WAT

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Umar Damagum

Umar Damagum

• Ex-Auditor fears PDP may fail to field presidential candidate • Wike-backed faction gets 60 days to conclude congresses, hold convention • We won’t allow newcomers destroy our party, says Wike • Court battles, zoning rifts fuel uncertainty over party leadership • BoT insists caretaker committee vital to prevent leadership vacuum ● Stakeholders say only Supreme Court ruling can end crisis

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Sunday night approved the establishment of a 13-member National Caretaker Committee to steer the affairs of the opposition party ahead of the expiration of the Damagum-led National Working Committee (NWC) today, Tuesday, December 9, 2025.

The decision, taken at the party’s 104th NEC meeting in Abuja, followed a recommendation by the Board of Trustees (BoT), which urged NEC to install an interim leadership structure to prevent a vacuum and preserve organisational stability.

According to NEC, the caretaker committee, chaired by Abdulrahman Mohammed with Senator Samuel Anyanwu as Secretary, is expected to oversee the party for 60 days, during which it must conclude all pending congresses and conduct a national convention to elect substantive members of a new NWC.

However, coming barely 22 days after the Damagum-led faction loyal to Governors Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed held a disputed convention in Ibadan and elected the Kabiru Tanimu Turaki-led NWC, stakeholders expressed concern that the proliferation of factional structures may worsen the party’s challenges ahead of the 2027 general election.

A member of the party’s Board of Trustees, who is neutral toward both factions, told The Guardian that despite the actions of the factional leaders, efforts are underway to reconcile outstanding issues, stressing that a final resolution will only come after the Supreme Court decides all pending cases.

While noting that the PDP constitution clearly outlines how leaders should emerge, the BoT member said, “Any faction doing anything is just flexing muscles unnecessarily. The way forward is to face reality and not do things for publicity’s sake, because it will yield nothing. Because there is the law, you have to comply with the law; whatever it is, you have to comply with the law.

“This case will be determined by the Supreme Court. And once it is determined by the Supreme Court, all ego will bow. Unfortunately, all those who are driving the process are driven and blinded by ego and vaulting ambition.” 2027 fears

Under the Electoral Act 2022, political parties must conduct valid primaries and submit their candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) months ahead of the general elections. For 2027, the primaries window is expected to fall between April and August 2026. To meet this deadline, the PDP must have a legally recognised National Working Committee (NWC), resolve the dispute over the National Secretary position and address the multiple court cases threatening its national structure.

The lingering conflict between the two camps is rooted in competing political interests and the struggle for control of the party’s leadership. The Wike–Makinde bloc has insisted on respecting zoning arrangements, while other stakeholders accuse them of trying to dominate the party’s national machinery.

With several lawsuits pending, there is concern that INEC may refuse to recognise primaries conducted by any faction—a scenario reminiscent of the APC’s misfortunes in Zamfara and Rivers states in 2019. If unresolved, the crisis could prevent the PDP from fielding candidates in some states or expose its nominees to post-primary disqualification.

Three broad scenarios lie ahead: a negotiated settlement before the primaries, a prolonged stalemate stretching into 2026 or a weakened PDP entering the 2027 race as a loose coalition of fractious state blocs. Without urgent reconciliation, continued fragmentation appears the most likely outcome.

A former National Auditor of the party, Ray Nnaji, has expressed doubts about the PDP resolving its crisis and fielding a presidential candidate in the 2027 election, stressing that without a court pronouncement or deliberate efforts to bring both camps to a roundtable discussion, the crisis will persist.

Nnaji, a lawyer, told The Guardian that both camps draw strength from court rulings, noting that the group loyal to Wike is emboldened by the court order against the Ibadan national convention.

“So, it will take the court to resolve the problem or anyone who can bring the two parties to a discussion table to agree on how to move the party forward. If this does not happen as soon as possible, I don’t see the party presenting a presidential candidate in the 2027 elections,” he said.

Asked whether a genuine cause exists in the dispute, Nnaji said the party’s crisis is no longer about preserving collective interests but about “the personal interests of a few members”, even as he criticised those who left the party during the turmoil.

“It is wrong for them to leave the party because of the crisis. Those who created the crisis should stay behind to solve it. People like Atiku Abubakar, David Mark and even Makarfi should not have left the party. We have a situation where some of those who benefited from PDP are now wearing the toga of parties they did not work for.

That is not how politics plays. We should be able to support what we believe in, not running from pillar to post,” he added.

While describing the dispute as an ego fight, Nnaji maintained that the party could emerge stronger once the issues are resolved. “I know that the APC will implode very soon. PDP remains the party that Nigerians have a genuine love for, and a lot of the members are still waiting and hoping that the problem will be resolved someday. That I also hope will happen soon,” he stated.

Commenting on the crisis, former Oyo State Deputy Governor, Hazeem Gbolarunmi, said the party could still resolve its internal disputes if it establishes a caretaker committee, a step he noted the Wike camp has already taken. “I also believe that personal interest is overriding the general interest of the party,” he added.

However, a founding member of the PDP and former Kaduna State commissioner, Isuwa Dogo, insisted it was misleading for the media to continue referring to “factions” in the party. He argued that Wike “remains expelled”, saying whatever he and his group are doing “is not recognised in the eyes of the law.”

Dogo maintained that, from a legal standpoint, there is no crisis in the PDP, alleging that President Bola Tinubu is the principal influence behind the party’s current troubles.

Giving a different perspective, a former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Prof Bola Akinterinwa, noted that Wike is trying to manage conflicting interests, given that he belongs to the PDP but works with the APC.

He stated, “It is a very difficult question to answer if the PDP can still produce candidates. There are no de facto leaders in the party. For the PDP to overcome the current crisis, its leaders need to make concessions. I will advise Wike to declare his stand, whether he is for the PDP or the APC. He can’t serve two masters.”

Also speaking, a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication at Achievers University, Owo, David Owoeye, said: “The PDP needs to put its house in order. If the party leaders can go back to the drawing board, the party can still regain its strength and become a formidable party. Some politicians will still defect to the PDP when the elections are close by.”

Prof Gbade Ojo, the former Chief of Staff to the late Oyo State governor, Abiola Ajimobi, said a caretaker committee could take over the administration of a party pending a generally accepted elective convention.

“But who is constituting the caretaker committee is the issue. PDP is on a journey of no return with action and counteraction vis-à-vis who is in control of the party. With multiple court cases battling for the soul of the party, only genuine sacrifice by the warring groups could salvage the party,” he queried.

He added that Wike is seen as a “black horse” in the party and a “quisling” who should not be trusted. According to him, “He has taken up the job of wreaking havoc on PDP. He is not ready to quit the party, ensuring that PDP is not a viable opposition party ahead of the 2027 polls.”

Ojo warned that the PDP may present candidates for the 2027 elections but risks having its victories invalidated in court if it fails to resolve its internal disputes.

Other members of the committee empanelled at the 104th NEC include National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade; National Organising Secretary, Umar M. Bature; Kyari Grema; Janguda Haruna Mohammed; Okechukwu Osuana; Senator Nwogu Olaka; Senator Sandy Onor; Adenike Ogunse; Bisi Kolawole; Deji Doherty; and Ibrahim Bala Aboki.

The development was confirmed by Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike.

Earlier, at the opening session of the NEC meeting held at his Life Camp residence, Wike warned that founding members of the PDP would not sit idly while individuals who joined the party from other platforms attempt to “kill” the organisation through impunity and disregard for its constitution.

Visibly displeased by the festering internal crisis, the former Rivers State governor accused a faction of serially violating subsisting court orders in its bid to force an “illegal” national convention on the party.

He criticised the group for ignoring two Federal High Court judgments on the contentious issue, only to seek refuge in a State High Court through an ex parte order directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise its actions.

“You went to a State High Court to sue INEC, asking that the convention must take place, and you got an ex parte order to override judgments of the Federal High Court. How do you disobey two final judgments and still claim leadership?” he queried.

Presenting its recommendation earlier, BoT Chairman, Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, said the proposed caretaker committee was consistent with the PDP constitution and necessary to ensure continuity, cohesion and disciplined management of party affairs.

He pointed to similar interim arrangements in states and zones, including Anambra and the South-East, where congresses could not hold, adding that such measures remain crucial in preventing leadership vacuums and strengthening internal governance.

The NEC subsequently adopted the BoT’s proposal, paving the way for the new interim leadership to commence work immediately as the party moves toward another convention in the coming weeks.

Further, Wike faulted the faction for returning to court after conducting the controversial convention without complying with judicial pronouncements, stressing: “You had the convention without obeying the court, and now you are back asking a Federal High Court to recognise you. If INEC already recognises you, what exactly are you going to court for?”

Warning that repeated disobedience to court orders threatens the survival of the PDP, Wike said no leader should allow personal ambition to overshadow the collective interest and institutional stability of the party established in 1998.

“We must not allow our party to die. Leadership requires commitment and honesty, not propaganda. If we don’t respect our own laws, how do we earn respect from Nigerians?” he noted, urging members to rally behind lawful leadership and ongoing reform efforts.

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